Natural Ivy Wash

Everything that goes down our drains leaks into our soil. In turn, our soil is where we grow our organic fruits and vegetables and where our lambs, whose meat we eat, are reared.

Shopping in supermarkets we've become increasingly disconnected from the land we live on and this water life cycle is something that is rarely considered in our everyday choices. When we think about what we clean with or what products we're putting down our drains it's easy to ignore where these chemicals are going and take no responsibility for the impact they are having on what we eat.

Because we're so closely connected to our water lifecycle at Deans Court we've been working to develop natural products that we feel comfortable using and that won't harm the environment or pollute the soil our food is grown in. Our first is a natural Ivy Wash, we've been using this instead of washing powder and are really pleased with the results so far. This recipe is only for dark colours - we're still perfecting the white wash!

Ingredients

20 large Ivy leaves (no stems)

2 litres of cold water

A few drops of lavender oil, or your preferred essential oil, can be added to give a lovely scent

Method

Put ivy in water , bring to boil rapidly and boil vigorously for 20 mins

Take off heat and leave to infuse for 24hours

Strain and bottle, if intending to keep for more than a week, fill bottle to top to ensure no air.

How to use

Pour 200 ml into soap dispenser to wash.